My Masked Hero
by Miss Snazzy
Summary: Bella finds herself in a dangerous situation with no one to rescue her. At least, that's what she thinks, until a certain masked stranger steps in. New Moon AU. Sailor Moon AU. Bella/Darien.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I read a pretty good Twilight/Sailor Moon Crossover earlier that had the same pairing. Of course, they never actually interact and I felt kind of disappointed, despite my love for Darien/Serena and Bella/Edward. So, in a flight of fancy, I decided to write this. I may continue it, but if you've read my stories before, then you know how flaky I (unfortunately) am. Still, I'll be crossing my fingers.**

Bella Swan crossed her arms as she walked, hoping to banish some of the cold clinging to her skin. The sun had set not too long ago, leaving her to make her trek in the dark. Although she knew that what she was doing was undeniably stupid, she hadn't really been thinking.

She had only been feeling, clinging to the rare spike of adrenaline that came when she found herself in a dangerous situation.

Okay, so maybe she had _put_ herself in a dangerous situation rather than just finding herself within one, but that hardly mattered.

The point was that the listless numbness she had been trapped in for months now was finally receding. Without moments like this-where she blatantly disregarded her promise to Edward not to do anything reckless-she had nothing.

His departure had left her feeling as raw and painful as an open wound, but as time passed, she had found herself falling deeper and deeper into depression, eventually slipping into apathy. She cared about little these days, and even felt rather horrifyingly disconnected when she dwelled on memories of him.

That realization was what had prompted her current course of action.

Logic had recently abandoned her, otherwise why would she have chosen to walk the same dark streets that she almost become a victim of assault in? Surely, the emotion was hardly worth placing herself in such danger.

That was what she knew she should be feeling, but really, she kind of felt...relieved.

It had very nearly scared her when she noticed that she suddenly felt nothing when her thoughts shifted to Edward. Often the thought that he had taken a good chunk of her heart with him had crossed her mind, but now she wondered if he hadn't taken it _all_.

Bella was pulled out of her thoughts when the distinct sound of footsteps made themselves known. She glanced around, seeking out the source of the noise. Although she couldn't see anyone, the chill climbing up her spine spoke otherwise.

She picked up her pace, changing streets quickly in the hope that she would lose them. Despite whatever may have prompted her journey here, this really wasn't a _game_ and she really needed to get somewhere safe before her new 'daredevil' tendencies went a little too far.

The steps were growing louder now and when Bella looked over her shoulder this time, she could see a man quickly pursing her. She abandoned her swift, but forcedly calm gait, instead opting to run.

Bella turned a corner and dove into an alley, hoping that he wouldn't notice and unknowingly pass her hiding spot. She waited with baited breath, watching as he looked around confusedly, before doing just that.

She sighed quietly in relief, moving up from her crouched position behind a dumpster. She would wait a few moments for the man to get farther before ducking back out and fleeing the way she came.

"Gotcha, Sweetheart."

The sudden sound of a deep voice below her and the harsh grip on her ankle caused her to jerk in surprise, falling backward. The angle of her decent resulted in a shot of pain shooting up her leg, making her cry out.

Despite her shock, the adrenaline in her veins allowed her to think quickly, as she brought her other foot toward his face in a forceful kick. The man howled, unintentionally releasing her leg as he cradled his nose.

Bella scooted back and attempted to stand, but quickly collapsed from the pain in her ankle. She had gotten injured enough to know that it was probably sprained, which left her with very few options. Aside from crawling, she had no means of escape.

Still, this realization didn't deter her from trying, her sense of self-preservation keeping her fighting to get away, even if she had to crawl. She didn't get too far however, as the man she had evaded earlier was now standing in the mouth of the alley, blocking her only exit.

"What's with you, Joe? Couldn't handle the girl?" the man smirked at his friend, who was still huddled near the dumpster, worrying his nose.

"The bitch kicked me," Joe explained, glaring at her.

Bella backed up against the opposite wall, staring at the scene before her with wide eyes. She couldn't run, she couldn't fight-and win-and no one knew she was here, having come alone and lied to Charlie about her plans for the night.

As the men slowly stalked toward her, Bella found her voice.

"Leave me alone."

"You hear that, Joe? She wants us to leave her alone," the man chuckled to his friend.

"Fat chance, Sweetheart. Might've gone easy on you, but that kick changed things," Joe sneered, pulling out a knife.

Bella's frightened gaze remained fixed on the knife even as they moved closer, unable to look away. A small voice in her head couldn't help but wonder if she deserved this for being so careless, but the majority of her thoughts were centered on the deafening realization that she was helpless to whatever they would do next.

"Cornering young women in alleyways? Don't you two have any shame?"

Bella's attention shot to the shadowy figure behind the two men at the sudden sound of his voice. The men quickly whipped around too, less concerned about her with the presence of hidden stranger.

"You'll walk away if you know what's good for you," Joe snarled, having lost his patience a while ago.

"Yeah, this doesn't concern you," the other man added.

"Oh, but it does concern me."

The shadowy figure shifted into the light and Bella felt her eyes widen even further at the sight. The man looked to be wearing a black tuxedo with a dark cape attached. As odd as that was, however, the added accessories of a matching top hat, a white mask, and a cane, were infinitely more so.

The two men snickered as this was revealed, nearly guffawing at the ridiculousness of his outfit.

"Who the hell are you?" the man asked, with more humor than seriousness.

"I am Tuxedo Mask," the dark-haired stranger announced in a powerful voice.

Bella was beginning to wonder if she had unknowingly been stabbed and lost a lot of blood because the scene before her was beginning to seem entirely unreal.

"Well, _Tuxedo Mask_, you've got the next five seconds to leave, or my friend and I are gonna make you wish you had," Joe threatened with a touch of amusement, brandishing the knife in his hand.

Tuxedo Mask's cane suddenly whipped out, slamming the weapon out of Joe's hand. The movement was so quick that neither man had time to react.

Joe hissed at the throb that now filled his hand, the added pain of his nose making him angry.

"You're gonna pay for that, you masked freak!" he yelled, barreling toward him.

Bella watched in astonishment as Tuxedo Mask easily dogged the attack, delivering a few quick blows that rendered the man unconscious. The other man stood stoically, staring at his crumpled friend with equal shock.

"Joe?" he mumbled, looking pole-axed by the display.

He held up his hands then, attempting to back out of the alley.

"Look man, it was all a joke," he tried to explain, though Bella could easily see that his words stemmed from fear rather than sincerity.

Apparently, the masked man agreed with her because he quickly brought his cane down upon the man, knocking him unconscious as well. Bella could only watch as he then began to deftly tie the two men together, leaving them in the middle of the alley with a note tacked on them, explaining what they had done.

By now, Bella was feeling extremely bewildered, unsure of how to process what had just happened.

The masked man approached her cautiously, unsure of her current state.

"Are you alright, Miss?" he asked politely.

"Um...yeah," she answered reflexively, though a sharp pain in her ankle made her rethink her words. "I mean, no. My ankle...I think it's sprained."

Tuxedo Mask frowned, glancing out of the alley. Bella watched as he seemed to decide something, before looking back toward her, kneeling down.

"We should get you to a hospital."

Bella assumed that he meant to help support her leg while she walked, and was therefore surprised when she suddenly found herself cradled in his arms. A squeak slipped out, causing her to blush.

"It will be faster this way," he explained, noting her discomfort.

"Uh...right."

He seemed to carry her effortlessly and the feeling of the muscles in his arms against her back made her blush even more. Noticing her shiver, he had wrapped his cape around her, which she was surprised to find felt soft like silk.

The masked man jumped, and suddenly Bella found herself looking down at their previous position from the roof of the building she had been leaning against. Her arms wrapped around his neck instinctively, her breath rising in a scream that was difficult to restrain from slipping out.

"We're... But how...?" she breathed, too astonished to finish a thought.

She could feel the rumble of his chuckle within his chest, where she was currently pressed rather intimately to. Her blush returned, though she was too worried about falling to her death to put any real distance between them.

"Just a little trick I picked up," he replied.

She looked up at his face, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn't, though he did seem to be withholding a grin. His eyes were full of amusement, which she noticed were an interesting shade of blue, almost like ice.

Bella clung to her masked hero as he continued to jump from building to building, feeling more than she had in months.


	2. Chapter 2

Bella Swan hadn't done anything particularly dangerous since that night. She had quite obviously learned her lesson, though she often worried that she would eventually revert back to her emotionless state without further attempts.

Of course, thoughts of her masked hero had kept her relatively occupied. Although no one else knew of the incident, Bella's suddenly intent gaze caught the attention of those around her. There wasn't a day that they didn't see Bella's face buried in a notebook, furiously writing down...well, _something_.

If anyone got too close or tried to peek over her shoulder, she quickly slammed the notebook shut. She became calmly detached when anyone questioned her about it, a particularly disconcerting sight to behold as Bella wasn't especially adept at hiding her emotions.

No one knew that the notebook was full of sketches and notes, all pertaining to the mysterious stranger that had dominated her thoughts as of late. She was so curious about him—the masked hero that had just swooped in and saved her.

She knew very little about him. Only his _title_, really. She had managed to scrape up a few stories of a masked man of a similar name in Tokyo, but unable to understand Japanese, she hadn't made much of it. Online translators only got her so far.

She also knew that he was considerate, or at least, that's how his actions had come across. Rather than leaving her to find her own way home, he had taken her to the nearest hospital. However, she had barely gotten a thank you out before one of the nurses diverted her attention, thus allowing him to disappear while her back was turned.

Bella hadn't quite expected to see him again, but then, she should have realized that with her own tendency to attract trouble, it was kind of inevitable.

Laurent had cornered Bella after her shift at Newton's one night. Mike had clocked out hours ago, leaving her to close up. His mother had been giving her more responsibilities as of late, most likely due to the recent change in Bella's manner.

Whatever the case, that left Bella closing the store after ten o'clock on a Tuesday night. There wasn't anyone around as it was the middle of the week and a bit late for the citizens of the quiet town to be up and about.

Laurent had detained her from leaving by slashing her tires, though she wondered why he had bothered. He could have easily snapped her spine like a twig, but then, she supposed that he might just like the novelty of it. He certainly seemed to enjoy drawing out her death by pointing out the obvious.

"How much could you mean to him when he left you here—unprotected?"

Bella had to admit that the way he had pointed out that fact had hurt. Despite the nearly lethargic tone all of her memories of Edward had taken, she couldn't deny that it wasn't still painful. The nightmares hadn't stopped, though they were less forceful than they had been.

What happened next had come as a surprise to both of them.

Laurent was in mid-monologue, stalking toward her unhurriedly, when there was a flash of movement. Bella watched in shock as Laurent paused to look down at his torso. Both continued to stare at the rose protruding out of his chest in bewilderment for a second more, before the thick purple smoke seeping from the wound became too much for her.

Bella's eyes watered, blurring the scene before her. Her ears, unfortunately, were very much welcomed to listen to the sound of Laurent's screams.

When the smoke had cleared enough for Bella to open her eyes again, she was astonished to find nothing left of Laurent but a pile of ash, as well as the star of her recent thoughts standing a few feet away.

Tuxedo Mask raised an eyebrow at Laurent's remains.

"That is the strangest youma I have ever seen."

Bella wasn't sure what a _youma_ was, though it did sound familiar. She might've come across it a few times in her research.

"That's not..." she paused, considering. "That's a vampire."

Tuxedo Mask's gaze darted to her in confusion.

"Vampire?" he repeated, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

Bella wouldn't blame him if he didn't. She imagined that the most he had come across during his career as a cape-crusader were regular human maniacs. A vampire, even to a superhero, probably came as quite a surprise.

"How did you do that?" she asked, gesturing at the pile of ash that remained of Laurent. "What was that rose?"

Tuxedo Mask looked back at her for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

"You're that young woman I rescued in Port Angeles," he recalled. "How's the ankle?"

"Better," she replied somewhat curtly, annoyed that he was evading her questions.

"Good to hear," he smirked a little at her tone. "Well. I've got places to be..."

He turned around and she watched him walk away for a moment with furrowed brows, before a thought struck her.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, jogging up to him.

Bella was surprised when he paused mid-step, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Laurent—the vampire—he slashed my tires," she explained, thankful to have found a reason to delay Tuxedo Mask from leaving.

After weeks of obsessing over him, she couldn't allow this opportunity to pass her by.

Tuxedo Mask glanced at her truck, noting the ruined tires. His gaze slid back to her easily, his lips turned down in a considering frown as he regarded her. Although his attention made her anxious, she tried not to show it.

"Very well," he conceded.

Bella fidgeted at his approach, uncertain now that he had agreed. She sucked in a breath as he wrapped a cape-clad arm around her waist and lifted them up in the air. Clutching at his arm, Bella watched in wonder as they flew over houses and trees, offering directions as an afterthought.

She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but she was wary of doing so while they were flying through the air. She didn't want to risk distracting him and end up being dropped accidentally. Although he seemed to know what he was doing, she couldn't assume that he would be able to catch her.

When they landed in her backyard—as per her instructions—she slowly removed herself from his grasp, hoping to prolong her time with him. She was worried he would disappear before she had the chance to really speak with him.

"Thank you."

He nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't speak. He merely stood there, stoically staring up at her house. She took this as a good sign that she could continue. He must've known she would have questions and she was grateful that he was at least going to hear her out, even if he decided not to answer any of them.

"So...you can fly?"

"I'd say that's rather obvious by now, wouldn't you?" he smirked.

Bella blushed in embarrassment, but endeavored to go on.

"What else can you do? Apart from...killing vampires with roses?"

Bella bit her lip, nearly wanting to laugh at how strange that sentence had sounded. Tuxedo Mask's lips quirked too, though he didn't respond. She sighed, wishing that he would confide in her, but acknowledging that it wasn't really any of her business.

"How long have you been a superhero?" she asked, thinking back on the information she had dug up about him in Japan.

"I'm not a superhero."

Tuxedo Mask was frowning now and Bella worried that she had offended him.

"I'm sorry... Is that not...um...politically correct?" she asked, hesitantly.

She was surprised at the loud guffaw that escaped him when she asked that. Her cheeks flushed, embarrassed once again. He waved a hand at her and attempted to quell his chuckling.

"Sorry... No, I just...never thought of myself as a superhero," he explained.

"But you've saved people!" she argued, surprisingly indignant.

"I don't really. I'm...looking for something," the laughter had quickly vanished from his voice and she realized with a start that she kind of missed it.

"But you saved me..." she pointed out.

Tuxedo Mask said nothing, once again redirecting his gaze toward the house behind her. She almost wanted to turn around and see what he was looking at, but she refrained.

"So...what are you looking for?" she asked.

His gaze quickly shifted to her and she felt nearly frozen by the way his blue eyes seemed to be looking right through her.

"I don't...I don't know," he replied after a moment, finally breaking their gaze.

Bella continued to stare at him, wondering what had caused his mood to shift so dramatically and wishing that she could get his smile to return.

"Well...I hope you find what you're looking for."


End file.
